Marketing and advertisements can cost a lot of money. Sometimes in a startup company, that money isn’t there or not allowed in the budget. So what does this mean for those companies who don’t want to hurt their wallet or break the bank trying to get their name out there? It all starts with the touch of a cellphone and away you go.
The key to getting your company’s name out there is by using any creative outlets that are the most popular for the target audience that you want. Being creative on a budget is an asset, something that can help the company in more ways than one.
Having an active social media following for your company is one of the first ways to gain revenue and gain brand loyalty. In the millennial generation, most clients are not brand loyal, meaning that they stick with one company as their go-to company for products they like. But for some people who want to start their company with trusted customers and regulars, having an active social media posting schedule and followers is one of the few ways that branding and advertising are not going to break your bank. In fact some companies who have avid social media followers always ask for their followers over social media accounts to post their favorite product from a specific brand. Just make sure to not flood their social media accounts with items from your brand, it could cause more and more people to just not see any interest in what you offer. Subtle and discreet clues about what you offer can cause a spark in curiosity and get people interested in what you have to offer.
Referrals and partnerships between brands is one way to get your name out there. It helps when you find a complementary brand that is also aimed at what you are trying to succeed at and in turn, a partnership can create more revenue and gain more brand followers than what you expected to find. One example is a web design company that sets up a referral agreement with an attorney who sends them interested clients with a given fee or a corporate filed document that states how much percentage of referrals and business deals that company would receive from any referrals from other clients. Another example could be a soap making company who gets a small percentage of referrals from stores who sell their products for clients interested in homemade, organic goods. the key to this type of practice is longevity. But make sure that your referral partner wants to continue referring clients your way based on the relationship of the partners and the relationship of each business’ goals.
If you feel like a referral partner may eat too much into your budget, you don’t have to do that, it is just one option if you are unable to engage with your regular customers and get the word out on the street what you plan on offering to someone who is interested in what you are selling or providing as a service or a product. Having an email list with emails on promotions and stories about other topics that are similar to what your company provides is one way to keep your customers walking through the door. The other is hustling people on the streets to take a look at what you sell and what you do as a business. It would be up to them to decide if they want to come back and find your specialties worth their potential interest.
There are just so many ways to get your company clients and to get the company name out there, without the purchase of a commercial spot on television or an ad in the phone book and newspaper. Go creative with a quick video on Snapchat or an ad on YouTube that is gaining interest in followers or people who seem interested in looking at what you offer. Marketing doesn’t always have to break the bank, it just needs to be creative and unique.